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<\/p>\nIn the wake of comedian Robin Williams\u2019 death by suicide in August 2014, an item about Williams\u2019 supposedly requiring in his work contracts that \u201cthe company hiring him also had to hire a certain number of homeless people and put them to work\u201d quickly spread far and wide online:Years ago I learned a very cool thing about Robin Williams, and I couldn\u2019t watch a movie of his afterward without thinking of it. I never actually booked Robin Williams for an event, but I came close enough that his office sent over his rider.For those outside of the entertainment industry, a rider lists out an artist\u2019s specific personal and technical needs for hosting them for an event- anything from bottled water and their green room to sound and lighting requirements. You can learn a lot about a person from their rider. This is where rocks bands list their requirement for green M&Ms (which is actually a surprisingly smart thing to do).This is also where a famous environmentalist requires a large gas-guzzling private jet to fly to the event city, but then requires an electric or hybrid car to take said environmentalist to the event venue when in view of the public.When I got Robin Williams\u2019 rider, I was very surprised by what I found. He actually had a requirement that for every single event or film he did, the company hiring him also had to hire a certain number of homeless people and put them to work.I never watched a Robin Williams movie the same way after that. I\u2019m sure that on his own time and with his own money, he was working with these people in need, but he\u2019d also decided to use his clout as an entertainer to make sure that production companies and event planners also learned the value of giving people a chance to work their way back.I wonder how many production companies continued the practice into their next non-Robin Williams project, as well as how many people got a chance at a job and the pride of earning an income, even temporarily, from his actions.He was a great multiplier of his impact. Let\u2019s hope that impact lives on without him. Thanks, Robin Williams \u2014 not just for laughs, but also for a cool example.<\/p>\n